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CandaceC
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| Posted: Feb 20 2009 at 9:48pm | IP Logged
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Ladies,
You have been so generous with your time in answering my questions. Now I have another.
Prayer...
I feel this is so silly, because I consider myself a "praying woman." However, I am curious about how YOU pray. 
My main question is this: when I see the beautiful prayers written out, be those scriptural or otherwise...
Do you memorize them?
Do you keep notecards with you and read over them as you pray?
Do you ever pray with your own words?
I especially loved some of those verses that were posted on the 40 Day Lenten blog just posted. If you were going to be praying that...how would you go about it??
Thanks so much for sharing! One of my favorite ways to pray is by using Scripture.
Here's a very generic example. Psalm 23
Oh Lord, you are my shepherd, I shall not want. Help me to be content with what you have given me. Thank you for leading me beside quiet waters. Thank you for restoring me daily. Guide me, Lord, down YOUR paths of righteousness. Show me when I am not on Your path. Thank you that you do walk with us in the valleys...ETC.
I think you probably get my point. but I love personalizing the Scriptures and praying them that way.
I also just love the personal, heart-felt prayers that are just me talking to God.
I'd love to hear your experiences. If you can't tell, I'm really gearing up for Lent and I would like to use some of the beautiful prayers I have seen some of you posting...some of them apply to so many believers - non-denominational so to speak - but I have never really prayed in this way.
Thanks you, sweet ladies!
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Candace - wife to David since 2000...mommy to Hannah (Feb. 2002), Emily (April 2003) and Caleb (March 2005)
His Mercy Is New
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guitarnan
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| Posted: Feb 20 2009 at 10:12pm | IP Logged
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Candace, I think I do all of the above. I love novenas, which I don't memorize but pray from books, holy cards or blogs/websites. I memorize favorite prayers and pray those daily. I pray in my own words, not necessarily by adapting Scripture verses but by talking with God about my praises, petitions and thanksgiving. I pray with my family (e.g. grace before meals) and by myself, at home and at church.
One thing that's really changed my life is offering up the daily trials of life as a sacrifice for a particular prayer intention, often for one of the many posted here. St. Therese, the Little Flower, spoke of the "Little Way" to Heaven, which includes offering up those many, many trials, large and small, as a gift to Jesus. When I remember to offer up my own worries and difficulties for someone else's intention, I am transformed - through prayer.
There's great comfort and inspiration, too, in using the words of traditional prayers - psalms from Scripture, the Lord's Prayer, novena prayers passed down through generations, etc. I feel united to those who've prayed these words before me and to those who are praying them around the world.
Of course, it's not always that simple - some days I'm rushed and forget to begin my day with true prayer time or am tired at night and forget to thank God for a day of peace and safety. I think that's why I like holy cards - I have some in strategic spots (in my kitchen, near my computer) to remind me that every single thing can be a prayer - caring for my family, talking with friends, volunteering, working - seeing those images of Jesus and Mary and the saints helps me to put God first, then family...the rest follows along pretty well if I remember to do that.
I hope this makes sense...it's late where I live!
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Nancy in MD. Mom of ds (24) & dd (18); 31-year Navy wife, move coordinator and keeper of home fires. Writer and dance mom.
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Sarah M
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| Posted: Feb 20 2009 at 10:14pm | IP Logged
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Hi Candace.
I converted from evangelicalism and so I have *lots* of experience praying with my own words. Of course, lots of Catholics do, too, but I just mean to say that I come from that being *the* way I used to pray.
Now, I pray both in my own words and with prewritten prayers. I pray a morning offering that I have written on an index card (that I got from a book). I keep it in my morning journal, and when I get up in the morning, I grab it and I read it slowly and thoughtfully. I do this with many prayers. I read somewhere awhile ago that scripted prayers are particularly helpful when you have no words- I find that scripted prayer stretches me in ways that praying in my own words does not. I pray the Lord's Prayer (usually referred to as the Our Father by Catholics) throughout my day, mindfully and carefully.
I do pray in my own words as well. A lot of my "arrow prayers" (or some call them "aspirations") are in my own words. I think I pretty much chat with God throughout my whole day. Those hearfelt conversations with the Lord are what pulls me through the rough spots!
Usually, if I'm sitting down to have a focused prayer time, I use written prayers. I find that, for me, I am less easily distracted this way. I have found so many inspiring prayers, and have been heartily blessed by using them in my prayer life. I pray in my own words randomly at other points during the day.
I find praying both ways has really deepened my prayer life. I'll be praying for you as we journey into the Lenten season. It is really such a rich time of year- and your post has reminded me that my prayer life will need a little boost this season. Blessings, Candace!
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Helen
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| Posted: Feb 20 2009 at 10:35pm | IP Logged
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I love praying the Liturgy of the HOurs (also called the Divine Office or the Breviary). It helps me turn to the Bible daily.
(Here's a 4Real thread with questiosn and answers about the Liturgy of the hours
I pray morning and evening prayer. (Sometimes I use the podcastPraystation Portable to help me pray the Liturgy of the Hours while taking care of the baby in the morning.)
These prayers usually begin with the psalms. I have found that many psalm verses come to my mind during the day because of habitually praying with the Breviary.
I also have a prayer book which I made using Word. THis helps me to stay organized and follow through on good intentions.
Having my Crucifix and devotional pictures also help to remind me to turn to God during the day in prayer. Sometimes, I'll make a resolution in the morning to say a certain thing each time I pass my Cross or devotional picture. (Many of this type of prayer is found at Mary Vitamin -- the link is in my signature.)
Great question Candace! I love talking about prayer.
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Ave Maria!
Mom to 5 girls and 3 boys
Mary Vitamin & Castle of the Immaculate
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CandaceC
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| Posted: Feb 21 2009 at 7:10am | IP Logged
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Ok, I can google these terms...but haven't yet, if anyone wants to share more, alot of these terms you are using are not a part of how I was raised or my church at all!
Novena
Breviary
intentions (is this like someone's prayer "request?")
Thanks for answering my questions again. I am working on my Lent fasting (which will be mostly computer/internet) so I'm trying to print off some prayers and verses before Lent actually starts.
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Candace - wife to David since 2000...mommy to Hannah (Feb. 2002), Emily (April 2003) and Caleb (March 2005)
His Mercy Is New
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Helen
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| Posted: Feb 21 2009 at 11:42am | IP Logged
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CandaceC wrote:
Ok, I can google these terms...but haven't yet, if anyone wants to share more, alot of these terms you are using are not a part of how I was raised or my church at all!
Novena
Breviary
intentions (is this like someone's prayer "request?")
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I'll try to tackle Breviary for you Candace since I brought it up.  The breviary (also called the Divine Office or Liturgy of the Hours) is the complementary prayer to the Catholic Mass. It consists of seven hours (rather like seven sections)which are prayed by the entire church throughout the world. It has been the set of prayers required of Catholic priests and religious for hundreds of years. It is in book form. The whole set is four volumes but lay people generally use the one volume version which only has Morning and Evening Prayer.
The different hours have their special flavor. The prayers are basically the psalms, readings from the Old Testament and New, praying for the needy of the world, an Our Father and sometimes a special reading from antiquity or a saint which explains a spiritual goal. Depends on the hour you pray.
The most important hours are
Office of Readings
Morning Prayer
Evening prayer
I have loved the breviary since my college days and have prayed it consistently for the past ten years. I feel the Lord has spoken to me and helped me through my crosses in a powerful way through the arrangement of the psalms. I have derived comfort in knowing that I'm not alone in praying over certain scripture passages because the many religious orders in different parts of the world are praying over the same verses.
There are several threads on this topic here at 4Real. I would be happy to look them up for you.
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Ave Maria!
Mom to 5 girls and 3 boys
Mary Vitamin & Castle of the Immaculate
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mrsmurphy
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I love to pray! I pray personally, visualizing that I am sitting with Our Lord Jesus, Mother Mary and God. I feel through visualization I can speak from the heart and in silent reflection get a response, encouragement or advice.
I also pray novenas and rosary weekly, I have the prayer for the unborn on the fridge, so when I open the fridge I can pray that. We do a morning prayer before schoolwork.... so some are spontaneous and some are written for me. I cant memorize prayer cards or those kinds of prayers though...not enough room in my brain!
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Michaela
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Hi Candance,
Yes, a prayer intention is a prayer request.
Novena comes from the latin word novem which means nine.
A Novena is a prayer said for nine consecutive days. In imitation of the nine days the apostles prayed in the Upper Room from Jesus' Ascension until the Holy Spirit came at Pentecost. (Acts 1:13-2:4)
As an example (just one example -- there are many many Novenas), here is a beautiful one for Pentecost:
Novena to the Holy Spirit
From the site:
The novena in honor of the Holy Spirit is the oldest of all novenas since it was first made at the direction of Our Lord Himself when He sent His apostles back to Jerusalem to await the coming of the Holy Spirit on the first Pentecost. It is still the only novena officially prescribed by the Church. Addressed to the Third Person of the Blessed Trinity, it is a powerful plea for the light and strength and love so sorely needed by every Christian.
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Michaela
Momma to Nicholas 16, Nathan 13, Olivia 13, Teresa 6, & Anthony 3
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CandaceC
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| Posted: Feb 21 2009 at 2:39pm | IP Logged
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Michaela, THANK YOU! That first prayer listed on that link is beautiful!! I love it! I'll be printing that out to add to my prayers over the next 2 months.
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Candace - wife to David since 2000...mommy to Hannah (Feb. 2002), Emily (April 2003) and Caleb (March 2005)
His Mercy Is New
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4Real Forums : Domestic Church
Topic: Me again...another question...on PRAYER
